imagine you’re a college student living with three other roommates and you’re
with three other roommates and you’re
with three other roommates and you’re struggling to make money stretch until
struggling to make money stretch until
struggling to make money stretch until your next paycheck
your next paycheck
your next paycheck so you’ve resulted to instant noodles
so you’ve resulted to instant noodles
so you’ve resulted to instant noodles resort it’s instant noodles you’re on
resort it’s instant noodles you’re on
resort it’s instant noodles you’re on your very last cup of sodium packed
your very last cup of sodium packed
your very last cup of sodium packed ramen so you’ve labeled the box and big
ramen so you’ve labeled the box and big
ramen so you’ve labeled the box and big bold letters do not touch you go
bold letters do not touch you go
bold letters do not touch you go downstairs to go enjoy your last cup of
downstairs to go enjoy your last cup of
downstairs to go enjoy your last cup of ramen and you find your roommate chowing
ramen and you find your roommate chowing
ramen and you find your roommate chowing down on it lid discard it on the kitchen
down on it lid discard it on the kitchen
down on it lid discard it on the kitchen counter
counter
counter same exact lid with your name on it and
same exact lid with your name on it and
same exact lid with your name on it and sharpie but and you can’t say anything
sharpie but and you can’t say anything
sharpie but and you can’t say anything you have no way of verbally expressing
you have no way of verbally expressing
you have no way of verbally expressing how you feel you imagine how hurt and
how you feel you imagine how hurt and
how you feel you imagine how hurt and isolated in the loan that must feel not
isolated in the loan that must feel not
isolated in the loan that must feel not to express to you’re pretty stupid
to express to you’re pretty stupid
to express to you’re pretty stupid roommate but they just ate your last cup
roommate but they just ate your last cup
roommate but they just ate your last cup of food before you get your next
of food before you get your next
of food before you get your next paycheck well I guess we’re all pretty
paycheck well I guess we’re all pretty
paycheck well I guess we’re all pretty lucky that we have language on average
lucky that we have language on average
lucky that we have language on average there’s about 1 million words recorded
there’s about 1 million words recorded
there’s about 1 million words recorded in the English dictionary that’s 1
in the English dictionary that’s 1
in the English dictionary that’s 1 million different ways to articulate how
million different ways to articulate how
million different ways to articulate how you feel make others understand and to
you feel make others understand and to
you feel make others understand and to enlighten those around you on average
enlighten those around you on average
enlighten those around you on average there’s about 800 to 1000 words added to
there’s about 800 to 1000 words added to
there’s about 800 to 1000 words added to the dictionary every year and in the
the dictionary every year and in the
the dictionary every year and in the 20th century alone about 90,000 words
20th century alone about 90,000 words
20th century alone about 90,000 words have been added and still seemingly
have been added and still seemingly
have been added and still seemingly words are insignificant taking for
words are insignificant taking for
words are insignificant taking for granted why because of this actions
granted why because of this actions
granted why because of this actions speak louder than words and it’s funny
speak louder than words and it’s funny
speak louder than words and it’s funny because we have no idea who really even
because we have no idea who really even
because we have no idea who really even said this it could have been Abraham
said this it could have been Abraham
said this it could have been Abraham Lincoln or Twain who knows and yet this
Lincoln or Twain who knows and yet this
Lincoln or Twain who knows and yet this little quote is still used every day to
little quote is still used every day to
little quote is still used every day to little the importance that should be on
little the importance that should be on
little the importance that should be on words and what we say but do actions
words and what we say but do actions
words and what we say but do actions really speak louder than words aren’t
really speak louder than words aren’t
really speak louder than words aren’t words how we define everything how we
words how we define everything how we
words how we define everything how we define ourselves my beloved cousin
define ourselves my beloved cousin
define ourselves my beloved cousin Sierra Joy told the world to the click
Sierra Joy told the world to the click
Sierra Joy told the world to the click of a button that she identified as
of a button that she identified as
of a button that she identified as genderqueer don’t know what genderqueer
genderqueer don’t know what genderqueer
genderqueer don’t know what genderqueer is no worries my mom didn’t know when I
is no worries my mom didn’t know when I
is no worries my mom didn’t know when I told her either
told her either
told her either yeah genderqueer is a person who does
yeah genderqueer is a person who does
yeah genderqueer is a person who does not subscribe to the conventional gender
not subscribe to the conventional gender
not subscribe to the conventional gender distinctions but either identifies with
distinctions but either identifies with
distinctions but either identifies with neither all or a combination of the
neither all or a combination of the
neither all or a combination of the spectrum of gender confusing of course
spectrum of gender confusing of course
spectrum of gender confusing of course it’s gender looks something like this
it’s gender looks something like this
it’s gender looks something like this like a scatterplot with no actual trend
like a scatterplot with no actual trend
like a scatterplot with no actual trend there is no normal when it comes to
there is no normal when it comes to
there is no normal when it comes to gender there
gender there
gender there no set boundaries to it and so in that
no set boundaries to it and so in that
no set boundaries to it and so in that and we as people tend to get very
and we as people tend to get very
and we as people tend to get very frustrated when we can’t make sense of
frustrated when we can’t make sense of
frustrated when we can’t make sense of things especially when we can’t make
things especially when we can’t make
things especially when we can’t make sense of them through words which brings
sense of them through words which brings
sense of them through words which brings me back to my first point of how
me back to my first point of how
me back to my first point of how isolating it can really be not to be
isolating it can really be not to be
isolating it can really be not to be able to verbally express something and
able to verbally express something and
able to verbally express something and unbeknownst to me my own cousin was
unbeknownst to me my own cousin was
unbeknownst to me my own cousin was struggling with the prospect of whether
struggling with the prospect of whether
struggling with the prospect of whether she wanted to be categorized as female
she wanted to be categorized as female
she wanted to be categorized as female or male and as female or male and she
or male and as female or male and she
or male and as female or male and she didn’t really feel like either so what
didn’t really feel like either so what
didn’t really feel like either so what then
then
then if genderqueer wasn’t a word which it
if genderqueer wasn’t a word which it
if genderqueer wasn’t a word which it wasn’t always one has to deal with what
wasn’t always one has to deal with what
wasn’t always one has to deal with what it feels like not to have an identity or
it feels like not to have an identity or
it feels like not to have an identity or not a verbalized one at least I asked my
not a verbalized one at least I asked my
not a verbalized one at least I asked my cousin a couple days ago you know what
cousin a couple days ago you know what
cousin a couple days ago you know what it felt like not to have the word
it felt like not to have the word
it felt like not to have the word genderqueer but prior to when she found
genderqueer but prior to when she found
genderqueer but prior to when she found out what it was and she told me she’s
out what it was and she told me she’s
out what it was and she told me she’s always felt this way and that
always felt this way and that
always felt this way and that colloquial colloquial terms helped her
colloquial colloquial terms helped her
colloquial colloquial terms helped her discover genderqueer a little bit just
discover genderqueer a little bit just
discover genderqueer a little bit just like tomboy in the early 2000s at that
like tomboy in the early 2000s at that
like tomboy in the early 2000s at that time it was really just a fashion trend
time it was really just a fashion trend
time it was really just a fashion trend but she really identified with the term
but she really identified with the term
but she really identified with the term and she didn’t know how to tell people
and she didn’t know how to tell people
and she didn’t know how to tell people that she loved being a girl but she also
that she loved being a girl but she also
that she loved being a girl but she also loved camo pants it was a sliding scale
loved camo pants it was a sliding scale
loved camo pants it was a sliding scale for her she told me gender is an
for her she told me gender is an
for her she told me gender is an expression and she’s a shapes
expression and she’s a shapes
expression and she’s a shapes shapeshifter and that it’s really hard
shapeshifter and that it’s really hard
shapeshifter and that it’s really hard because everyone has different
because everyone has different
because everyone has different definitions for everything and in the
definitions for everything and in the
definitions for everything and in the grand scheme of things it’s not really
grand scheme of things it’s not really
grand scheme of things it’s not really that deep but what is deepest respect
that deep but what is deepest respect
that deep but what is deepest respect human connection and love and self love
human connection and love and self love
human connection and love and self love recently merriam-webster has been a has
recently merriam-webster has been a has
recently merriam-webster has been a has been an lgbtq+ community Ally through
been an lgbtq+ community Ally through
been an lgbtq+ community Ally through the adage of new socially conscious and
the adage of new socially conscious and
the adage of new socially conscious and culturally conscious words to the
culturally conscious words to the
culturally conscious words to the dictionary an article on Vox commented
dictionary an article on Vox commented
dictionary an article on Vox commented that merriam-webster is always trying to
that merriam-webster is always trying to
that merriam-webster is always trying to convey to its community that convey to
convey to its community that convey to
convey to its community that convey to its community
its community
its community conveyed to its community that it tends
conveyed to its community that it tends
conveyed to its community that it tends to define words because people need
to define words because people need
to define words because people need definitions as an lgbtq+ community ally
definitions as an lgbtq+ community ally
definitions as an lgbtq+ community ally myself I also
myself I also
myself I also understand how it feels not to have an
understand how it feels not to have an
understand how it feels not to have an identity and not to be able to verbally
identity and not to be able to verbally
identity and not to be able to verbally express how you feel and when you feel
express how you feel and when you feel
express how you feel and when you feel that so any form of verbal expression of
that so any form of verbal expression of
that so any form of verbal expression of who you are whether it be claiming a
who you are whether it be claiming a
who you are whether it be claiming a physical disability or claiming a mental
physical disability or claiming a mental
physical disability or claiming a mental disability like depression or bipolar
disability like depression or bipolar
disability like depression or bipolar disorder or even just personal character
disorder or even just personal character
disorder or even just personal character traits that is really powerful and you
traits that is really powerful and you
traits that is really powerful and you shouldn’t let anybody tell you that you
shouldn’t let anybody tell you that you
shouldn’t let anybody tell you that you don’t belong in the pages of your own
don’t belong in the pages of your own
don’t belong in the pages of your own language thank you
language thank you
language thank you [Applause]
”
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